The 33-Year Engagement

THIRTY-THREE YEARS. That’s how long I’ve been in this business—test-driving cars, writing about cars, learning about cars, and telling curious onlookers in the next lane, “This is not my car.” But never could I have guessed, way back in 1984, what wonders would await in the automotive world of 2017.

- St. Antoine

I mean, about the only things cars of then have in common with today’s cars are rubber tires and a bumper sticker that reads, “I Was Abducted By Aliens.”

Think how far we’ve come. When I started in this business, Hyundai was what you called that afternoon when you and your buddy went to the NFL game dressed in Attila costumes. Today, the South Korean automaker sells more than 750,000 automobiles annually on our shores and, as we go to press, ranks as the seventh-largest auto seller in the U.S. Talk about sacking an empire.

Three-plus decades ago, if you could even find an electric vehicle, chances are it was only good for transporting golf clubs, a six-pack of beer, and an awful pair of plaid pants. The general consensus about electrics back then was, “Who would want one of those?” Then in 1996, along came the revolutionary two-seat, electric General Motors EV1. And in only a few short months the general consensus was, “Who would want one of those?” But EV engineers persisted—to the point that today more than a baker’s dozen full-electric rides are available for sale in the U.S. They’re good, too. In fact, so many new and appetizing electrics are coming just around the corner, rumor has it that EV maker Tesla is considering unveiling a coal powered full-size pickup just to stand out from the crowd.

In the mid-1980s the phrase, “Honey, have you seen the car keys?” was almost as common as, “Did you catch last night’s episode of ‘Miami Vice’?”